Welle, Welle, Welle

From European Voice's Entre-Nous column

3/18/09, 6:00 PM CET

Updated 4/23/14, 8:54 PM CET

Welle's Welt expands as Klaus settles in for a long reign.

Klaus Welle took over on Monday (16 March) as secretary-general of the European Parliament, so the Parliament is now, as insiders put it, “Welle’s Welt”. Just to make sure, Welle, who was head of cabinet for Hans-Gert Pöttering, the president of the Parliament, has been making appointments. His private office will be led by Freddy Drexler, who used to work for Pöttering, as did another recruit, Thomas Subelack. Socialist Tessa Ryan will be Drexler’s deputy, in a nod to party political balance. As Welle is only 45, his reign might last a long time. It will certainly be longer than that of his predecessor Harald Rømer who retired on 15 March after only two years in the job. Rømer’s appointment was widely seen as a ploy to keep the seat warm for Welle. Although Rømer said that he would be retiring, it has now emerged that once he reaches the age of 65, next month, he will be an unpaid adviser on Pöttering’s folie de grandeur, the House of History project. Nice work if you can get it.